Constant Vigilance
by magyka95
Summary: Sameera Roy hero worshipped Harry Potter. But when a group known as the Vigilantes start murdering people, Sam's snooping gets her caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. None of the stories ever prepared her for this.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow. It's been ages since I last posted. And this plot bunny has been floating around in my mind for quite sometime. Unfortunately, the last year has been hectic for me with college applications and entrance exams and what not. So my writing had to be put on the hold. But now… now, I'm a free bird! So I can mess with my characters. And of course, my favourite series * Evil smirk* **

**Just a little heads up. I've written this with an entirely new cast of characters, setting it after The Second Generation. You might recognize the famous names, but most likely they will not play a very important role in my story. **

**Disclaimer: I would gladly give in to schizophrenia if I could live in Hogwarts.**

CHAPTER 1: HOGWARTS-BOUND

I started feeling nostalgic gazing at the scarlet engine with "The Hogwarts Express" emblazoned on it. It seemed only yesterday when I first laid eyes upon it. Of course, realistically speaking, it had been four years ago, when I had been eleven years old. I still remember my parents suggesting a good psychiatrist to Professor Longbottom when he first arrived on our doorstep, announcing I was a witch.

I winced. Needless to say, that conversation had gone well.

Of course, my parents always knew there was something _odd_ about me. My mother had the shock of her life when she found my chew toys dancing around my crib when I was little. But she had written it off as 'the wonders of modern technology'. Of course, turning my annoying cousin green wasn't as easily written off. Still, after Professor Longbottom's visit, my parents had accepted the idea that I was a witch easily enough seeing that the alternative was accepting I was insane.

"Sam! OI! Sam, the train's about to leave!" A voice cried, shaking me out of my reverie.

"Darnit," I swore, realizing that indeed it was almost eleven.

I ran to the nearest compartment, throwing in my trunk and grabbing Percival, my owl. I managed to get on the train just as it started pulling away from the station.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I started walking down the corridor, trunk and all, looking for my friends. I finally found them in a compartment towards the end of the train.

"There you are." Kimberley Whitener said, looking relieved. "We thought you hadn't made it."

Kim was as cute as a button. She was short, extremely short. I'm talking about a five foot nothing short. She had dark hair which fell in perfect spiral curls, framing her heart shaped face much to my eternal envy. With her wide hazel eyes and button nose, she looked, well, rather like a china doll.

Much to her dismay.

Kim had the personality of a dragon. When an unfortunate seventh year, Logan Dodge had called her "a little pixie" in our third year, it didn't end too well for him. Kim was the magical equivalent of a guntoting muggle. She had no qualms about hexing people and she had an arsenal of rather nasty jinxes. I really wasn't looking forward to being a prefect, knowing that I'd have to hand her at least ten detentions a week.

"So, Sam. Did you face..uh, any trouble getting to King's Cross?" Alyssa Morgan enquired.

I stared at Lys. With Lys, every word she uttered had some purpose. She was always calm and serene, her blonde hair never looked out of place. Each word was spoken deliberately, she wasn't exactly one for small talk. Often, people accused her of being cold, but I knew that once she cared about someone, she did it fiercely and without restraint. It had taken Kim and I, three years and a lot of stubbornness to worm our way into her heart.

So when Lys asked me if I had met any trouble, I knew it wasn't a casual question.

"No. Why?" I said, heaving the trunk under the seat. Pushing my dark curls out of my face, I sat down and rested my aching feet.

The two exchanged a glance. I arched my brow.

"Haha. No, nothing much. Just wondered why you were late. Speaking of late, don't you have a Prefect's Meeting?" Kim rambled.

My eyes widened. NO! My perfect record! I was always on time. I was the epitome of punctuality. I narrowed my eyes at my two best friends, conveying to them that I had not forgotten their weird glancing. Then I flew out of the compartment and hurtled down the corridor.

"Tsk. Tsk. Running down corridors? We can't have that, can we, boys?" An accented voice spoke up. And I got the crawling feeling on my skin that I generally associated with that voice. Of all the people, I had to run into Nikolai Borschev and his cronies.

I turned around to face him and met his smug grin. Such a shame, that grin spoilt his whole face. He was quite handsome really, with his aquiline features and his brown hair. His eyes though, were a different story. They were the palest blue and looked a little… well... dead.

Then I caught sight of the little badge pinned to his robes.

"No! No, this is a joke. There is no way you're a prefect." I groaned.

Smugness now oozed from his pores, almost suffocating me.

" That's right, little Gryffindor. So be careful, won't you? Or I'll have to _punish _you, Sameera Roy." He whispered, his voice laced with insinuation.

I shuddered. EW.

"Well, unfortunately for you, buddy, I happen to be a prefect too. So you better behave yourself or I swear I'll go to Professor McGonogall." I said as evenly as possible.

Then I turned around and entered the compartment. And my eyes fell on my fellow fifth year Gryffindor prefect Raphael Richardson.

Of course, I knew it would be him. He had the highest grades in our year (despite my feverish and impassioned attempts to beat him, I always trailed behind by few points) and the quite sort of authority that made people look up to him and gravitate towards him.

"Richardson. Sup?" I said. Then immediately wanted to smack myself. 'Sup?' 'SUP?' That's what I came up with. Note to self, stop using facebook speech in daily life.

Richardson's lips twitched at my greeting. The boy had a poker face that would make stone gargoyle's jealous.

"Sup?" He replied.

I gaped at him. Now he was just mocking me. Sticking my tongue out at him, I returned my gaze to the Head Boy and Girl, as the last few stragglers trickled into the compartment.

"Alright, everyone's here. We can begin." Said Lily Potter, the Head Girl. I really couldn't have asked for a better Head Girl. She was extremely nice and had introduced me to her father, _the _Harry Potter. Of course, I was completely tongue tied and couldn't even formulate words, let alone sentences. But Mr. Potter being the completely brilliant person that he is, patted my head and said he was pleased to meet me. My head. TOUCH. HARRY POTTER. I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven.

"Right you are, Lily. I hereby do convene this meeting at 11:45 on the 1st of September, 2026." Mark Conelly pompously announced. He was from Ravenclaw and I had no doubt he would run for Minister of Magic. And he might win, too. On pompousness alone.

"The patrol list is right here, Shelby just hand out the copies. We will have a meeting once every fortnight. For now, we have tentatively selected Wednesday evenings. But we'll let you know if there are any changes." Lily said, crisply.

Thank goodness. If it was up to Conelly, we'd be here for hours as he droned on.

"Oh. Prefects, do be careful. With all the… unrest, we don't want any of you injured." Said Conelly. Lily nodded.

Unrest? What was going on? It was times like these that I regretted going to India for the vacations as I was left completely out of the loop.

As Richardson was leaving, I grabbed his arm. Unlike the many members of the Richardson Fanclub, I did not swoon/sigh at the sight of him. Not unless he got a scar on his forehead and defeated the greatest Dark Wizard ever.

"What is all this about?" I asked him.

Richardson's ears went a little red. Out of anger, I presume. Interesting.

"Haven't you heard?" He asked me.

"No, idiot, if I had I wouldn't be asking you. I got back from India yesterday." I said.

" There's some talk of a group known as the Vigilantes. They have been associated with a spree of killings. Everyone thought they were Pureblood sympathisers until they killed Carson Avery. Dad even…" He broke off. His father worked in the Auror Office and I knew he had been about to reveal something extremely secret.

"Yes?" I prodded.

"Never mind. It should become public knowledge soon. Besides, they're not likely to affect us at school." He said.

I nodded. This was very bad. We had just emerged from the Second Wizarding War. The last thing we needed was more violence. What on earth did the Vigilantes want?

Richardson cleared his throat and I noticed our hands were still linked. I let go immediately, blushing. And then cursed myself. Yes, Richardson might be extremely good looking with his dark, almost black hair and his dark eyes, as well as his ahem, Quidditch toned physique. But still, no reason to lose brain cells and resemble melted slush.

With cheeks burning with embarrassment as I felt rather than saw his amusement, I muttered a farewell and beat a hasty retreat back to my compartment, all thoughts of the Vigilantes pushed out of my mind.

It is always most calm before a storm.

And I was just about to get caught up in a typhoon.

**Review and make my day? Please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, readers. That is, hoping anyone is reading this since I got a grand total of zero reviews. Yes, that is a hint. Take it! chapter deux of my first Hogwarts fanfic. Dun dun dunn…. *drumroll ***

**I would love to answer any queries you have about the timeline, the characters or the story in general. PM me or review. Constructive criticism is welcomed but no flames, for the love of Merlin.**

**On a completely unrelated note, wish me luck guys because I gave my IB and I am driving myself nuts thinking about my results. So now I'm forcing people to wish me luck so that I can collect enough luck to scrape 40 points. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter. I do. As well as Middle Earth and Narnia.**

CHAPTER 2: BLOODRED

"There is something really off about Borchev. Something really creepy." Commented Kim, not even bothering to keep her voice down. Sitting opposite us in the horseless carriages, Borchev just continued staring straight at me.

I rolled my eyes, of all the people to end up in the carriage with. I glanced at Lys who looked supremely unconcerned with the whole affair, gazing out, even as one of Borchev's cronies actually growled at Kim's comment.

Trying not to let my discomfort show on my face, I followed Kim's example and soon found my mind wandering. Richardson seemed to think that the Vigilantes wouldn't attack the school but logically speaking, Hogwarts might be a target. Because the Vigilantes were a group and groups recruited. And Hogwarts was teeming with young, impressionable minds. Gosh, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. As a Prefect, I had to ensure none of the younger ones got caught up in a mess like hat. And some of the older students too.

But then again, if the Vigilantes had an ounce of sense, they wouldn't attack Hogwarts. Not only is Hogwarts protected by thousands of layers of protective spells but we had Professor Mcgonagall as our Headmistress. And only an idiot would want to cross wands with Professor Mcgonagall.

Thankfully, we soon reached Hogwarts and I was spared from Borchev's creepy staring. Kim, Lys and I hurried to the Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table, eager for the feast. I was absolutely famished!

"Hello, Sam. Had a good summer?" smiled Eliza Lawrence. Eliza was an extremely pretty redhead. Vivacious and extroverted, she loved a good party. And what she lacked in..well, the academic department, she made up by being one of the sweetest people I knew.

"It was great!" I said, smiling back. "Yours?"

"Oh, the usual." She said, smiling mysteriously.

"Alright, spill. Who's the boy?" I asked, knowing Eliza quite well.

"Hush! I can't. it's a secret. But he goes to Hogwarts." She replied.

I was really curious, but had to contain my curiosity as the Sorting ceremony was starting. I shrugged. Oh well, I would just weasel it out of her back in our dormitories.

Professor Longbottom led the first years in. How tiny they seemed! I remembered my own Sorting. I was so nervous, I was close to fainting. When the Sorting Hat declared me a Gryffindor, I am sure I visibly sagged with relief.

The Sorting Hat opened it's mouth wide and began singing:

" It might seem strange to you,

To see a hat sing,

But I'm no ordinary Hat,

I can see everything.

I can tell you what your fears are,

Your dreams, whether right or wrong,

Come put me on your head,

And I'll tell you where you belong.

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Who are loyal, just and nice,

Or you might be in Ravenclaw,

Who are witty and are wise.

Or you might be in Gryffindor,

Who value nerve and daring,

Or if you are cunning and shrewd,

You might do well in Slytherin.

So put me on, don't be afraid,

I'll find a House to put you in,

And now without further ado,

Let the Sorting begin!"

We all clapped as the Sorting Hat gave a little hat-bow. Kim was sniggering to my right. I elbowed her.

"Nice. The Sorting Hat described Hufflepuffs as nice! The poor sods!" She snickered.

I glared at her. Richardson caught my eye over the table and we both hid our smiles behind our hands.

The little firsties were sorted. While it was always terribly amusing to see the nervous first years being sorted, I was feeling extremely puckish and was therefore desperate for the feast to start.

I started loading my plate with everything I could find. By the time dessert was served I was full.

"Ugh! I hate this. Now I can't have dessert. That chocolate pudding looks sinfully good. But I'll burst if I have another spoon. Urgh!" I groaned, staring longingly at the pudding.

"You always do this," said Lys. "Stuff yourself full and then sigh over how good dessert looks."

"It's not my fault the food is so good." I retorted. "Now don't make me talk. It hurts!"

Lys shook her head at me, while digging into the should-be-illegal chocolate pudding. Meanwhile, Raphael Richardson looked terribly amused at my dilemma. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Mature" He commented.

"Indeed," I replied loftily.

The feast came to an end and as Prefects, Richardson and I led the firsties to our Common Room where I had great fun showing them around. Finally, they trooped to their dormitories and Richardson and I were left alone in the stairway.

"Why was Borchev staring at you throughout the feast?" asked Richardson without any preamble.

I was shocked at the question and therefore said the first thing that came to mind.  
"Probably to annoy me. He hates me."

Richardson shook his head at me.

"He doesn't hate you. It takes an inordinate amount of hatred to glare at someone continuously. Which he wasn't doing. He was staring."

"Glaring," I replied stubbornly.

"Staring," He said evenly, as he stepped closer to me.

"Glaring," My breath hitched.

"He was staring, Sam." Richardson said.

Gosh darnit! The way he said my name should be made illegal. I felt like agreeing with him but then shook my head to clear it.

"Anyway, whatever. Borchev isn't worth my time, Richardson." I said, turning on my heel.

"Raphael." He said, brushing past me.

"Huh?" was my intelligent reply.

"My name is Raphael." He said.

"I know," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So use it." He said and smiling at my flabbergasted face, he went down the stairs towards the Common Room.

At the foot of the stairs, he turned.

"Oh and Sam? Stay away from Borchev, will you? He's bad news. Trust me."

I nodded in reply and decided to turn in for the night, too dazed by the events that had just transpired.

Raphael Richardson had just…flirted with me. And I had let him.

Dear god.

- asdfgh -asdfgh- asdfgh-

The next day, I woke up and decided that the whole event was a result of my overtired mind. I noticed Eliza hadn't returned for the night and smirked. At least someone was having a good time.

Waking Kim was always a ten minute affair and by that time Lys had already showered. Soon, the three of us headed down to breakfast, bidding our fifth roommate Amy goodbye.

Our only reply was a shrug.

Oh well.

After breakfast, our first class was Charms. Professor Flitwick was ancient and lenient. After mastering the Banishment charm in five tries, I leaned back and watched Kim trying to banish her pillow. As I glanced about the room I noticed Richardson had also finished and was now chatting to his best mate, Eric Crawford. I blushed at the sight. And then scolded myself.

I started looking around the room once again and then I frowned. Eliza was missing. Well, of course she had bunked a few classes here and there but never an important one as Charms. She wanted to become a Carer at St. Mungo's.

After Charms, we had Transfiguration. Knowing Professor Demetrius, our Transfiguration teacher, this year was bound to be extra grueling due to the approaching OWLs. I wasn't worried about transfiguration, but I needed to improve my Herbology if I ever wanted a shot at Magical Law.

I decided to take a quick detour to the bathroom after Transfiguration. Waving Lys and Kim, I went to the nearest washroom. Which turned out be Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I groaned. Of all the luck! She never stopped whining. But I couldn't risk being late for Herbology.

I stepped into the bathroom and saw Moaning Myrtle floating around looking, for once, quite happy. She was even giggling to herself. I quirked a brow at her.

"It's awful, you know," she giggled." Almost as awful as my death."

"What are you talking about, Myrtle?" I said, in no mood for her games.

She pointed to the last stall and I strode towards it, throwing it open.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight.

Eliza lay on the ground spread eagled and naked. There were pins on her hands and foot, pinning her in place. Her red hair lay tangled, the colour mingling with the blood pooled around her.

I stared at her. Then, drawing in a deep breath, I ran out of the bathroom screaming bloody murder hoping someone, anyone would come. And come quickly.

Because I wasn't sure how long the large V drawn with blood next to her body would remain.

**Review? I'll give you galleons, really.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! So I'm really, really disappointed that absolutely no one has reviewed this story. Is it that awful? Really? **

**However, I will not be giving up on this tory since it's been formulating in my head for quite some time. **

**Also , a huge thank you to my Beta, henceforth to be referred to as Vaish for reading through this and helping me with the chapter. **

**Now onwards!**

**Disclaimer: Do I own a multi million dollar franchise? Sadly, no.**

**CHAPTER 3: IN WHICH I DEVELOP MY SLEUTHING SKILLS**

I bumped into Professor Demetrius at the foot of the staircase. Professor Demetrius was tall, dark, handsome and head over heels for Professor Maria Mackenzie, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He steadied me, looking bewildered at my shrill screaming.

"Miss Roy, what on earth is the matter with you?" Professor Demetrius asked.

"In the bathroom." I gasped. "Murder."

Professor Demetrius looked confused for a minute before what I said sank in. He let go off me and ran towards the bathroom. I decided to go and get Professor McGonagall.

I reached a corridor teeming with students, all unaware of the heinous crime that had taken place. I bumped into a few people as I ran towards the Headmistress' office.

"Sam, I –" Raphael started to say as he emerged from the Transfiguration classroom. My tear streaked face must have stopped him in his tracks. I just shook my head and ran on. The footsteps behind me told me that he was following.

The gargoyles guarding the Headmistress' office looked bored as I implored them to let me in.

"Look, girly, no password, no entry. That's the rule, that is." The gargoyle said, looking smug and superior.

"DAMN YOU, " I screamed, absolutely furious and brandishing my wand" There's been a murder! A bloody murder so unless you want me to blast you to smithereens you let me in!"

"Miss Roy!" Professor McGonagall emerged from her office just as Raphael put a calming hand on my shoulder.

" Professor. Eliza… Eliza's been murdered in Moaning Myr.. I mean Myrtle's bathroom. She's dead. And there's a big V next to her. Professor!" I garbled on, trying to explain the situation.

Professor McGonagall must have understood as she became pale and her lips resembled a thin line.

"Miss Roy, please go to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Richardson, please accompany her." She told us before sweeping off.

I sagged against the wall, my mind refusing to believe what my eyes saw. Eliza- always smiling, constantly worrying about her looks, delaying in the shower . She was dead.

"Is Eliza Lawrence dead?" Raphael asked sharply. " And there was a V next to her?"

I nodded wordlessly, closing my eyes. Raphael took my hand and guided me to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey took one look at me before giving me a Calming Drought.

**INSERT TIME BREAK**

By dinner, everyone knew Eliza had been murdered. I heard all sorts of twisted stories as people let their imaginations run wild. Of course, since I had discovered her, I became an instant celebrity. Wherever I went I was mobbed by people clamouring for the sordid details. Tired of fending people off, I exited the Great Hall early and headed for the Gryffindor Tower where my bed beckoned me.

" Out all by your lonesome?" a voice said right near my ear.

I screamed. Alright, I'm not particularly proud of it. But I was thinking of Eliza and then to hear a voice near your ear…Well.

"What the hell! Borschev!" I hissed.

Indeed. The stupid Ravenclaw git smirked at me, clearly enjoying the near heart attack he gave me. He looked almost disappointed at the fact that I did not actually have an apoplexy and die.

"So, I heard you discovered her body." He said.

I closed my eyes. I did NOT want to think about it. I had shared a dorm with Eliza for five years, for heaven's sake. I swear Borschev should have been put in Slytherin. Unfortunately, he was clever too. Thus, he became the stain on the name of the House of Ravenclaw.

"Look, I am really tired and not in the mood for your games. So please, leave me alone. " I said.

"Now why would you think I'd do that, Sam?" He said, pronouncing my name like a caress. It made me sick, the way he could turn anything into an innuendo. Oh, I had heard loads about him from my friends in Ravenclaw. Loads about him and his…well, violent tendencies. And I was not impressed.

"Last chance, Borschev. Move, or I'll move you." I snarled.

""Does he who is always waiting suffer more than he who's never waited for anyone?" "

"What kind of questions is that?" I said completely bewildered before it clicked. "Wait, why're you quoting the Muggle author Pablo Neruda?"

"You know him?" Borschev asked.

" Reading is not the right of only Ravenclaws, you know," I said indignantly.

"But of course," He conceded. "you always did have good taste. It's what caught my eye."

"Unfortunately." I said while shuddering. I did not want to catch his eye.

And then, before I could do anything about it, he had yanked my arm, brought my knuckles up to his lips and placed an open mouthed kiss on it. I could only gape at him as he walked away.

At the far end of the corridor he turned.

"Oh, and Sameera? Something wicked this way comes." He said, his grin not reaching his eyes.

**INSERT TIME BREAK**

Lys, Kim and I sat cross-legged on Kim's bed. I glanced at Amy, our fifth roommate, wrapped up in her blanket. She never wanted to participate in anything we did so gradually we started leaving her alone.

" I can't think of anyone who'd want to kill Elisa." Kim declared.

"You must be joking. I can think of many." Lys said calmly. "Elisa was pretty, passably talented and she wasn't very discreet about her affairs. Think about it, how many guys broke up with their girlfriends because of Eliza?"

"Come on, that's taking jealousy too far guys." I said. " Besides, I don't think anyone knows this but-" I lowered my voice, " Next to her, there was a big V. Like the Vigilante Murders."

Amy sat up with a gasp. All three of us jumped at the unexpected intrusion into our conversation.

"The.. the Vigilantes?" Amy stuttered, looking frightened out of her mind.

" It's just a suggestion, geez." Kim said, rolling her eyes.

"A ludicrous one." I said, trying to placate Amy " The Vigilantes can't break into Hogwarts. You cant apparate in. So the only other explanation is that one of the teachers or a student did this. And that is impossible. It must have been an accident or something."

"An accident with a giant V drawn next to her?" Amy said incredulously.

I winced. Well, when she put it that way… It made no sense. No one could have entered or left Hogwarts. The walls were impenetrable. And I couldn't think of a single person within the castle who would kill someone. And kill someone so ruthlessly. Except…Borschev. There was something definitely off about the guy.

Still, even for Borschev this was too much. And to think Eliza had been so happy, having finally found a nice guy.

I sat bolt upright. Of course! Eliza must have suck out of class to visit this mystery boyfriend. And the last person who had seen her had to have been….

"GUYS!" I almost screamed. To my right, Amy had recocooned herself in her blankets.

Lys and Kim stared at me as I gesticulated wildly in my excitement, unable to speak.

"That night, during the feast, Eliza told me she had been seeing this guy." I said, finally forming a coherent sentence.

"And? How is this new information?" asked Lys dryly. "She's always seeing someone or the other."

Lys, coming from a pureblood family, tended to frown down on Eliza's behavior. She thought it was extremely 'frivolous'.

"Yes, but Eliza never thought of keeping her affairs secret. But she told me that she just couldn't name this guy. She insinuated it would be quite scandalous if people got to know." I said.

"Maybe it's a Slytherin," Kim said. To Kim there was nothing worse than being a Slytherin and nothing more heinous than the Slytherin Quidditch Captain Ryan Finn. He was slightly better at quidditch than her. They both played Chaser but Kim often used the quaffle as a bludger to knock Finn out. I had never seen her happier than when an actual bludger had smacked into Finn, knocking him off his broom.

I rolled my eyes. Kim was so predictable.

"She's dated plenty of Slytherins before. Like Mulciber, Jeffreys and the curly haired one in the year above us. Oh and Finn." I said.

Kim turned ashen.

"You mean to say one of my own roommates dated…made out with… _him_." She ground out. "I'll kill him."

"Anyway, guys, don't you see? Eliza must have snuck out to see him. He was the last person she was with! If we track down this guy maybe.." I was starting to get excited.

Lys interrupted me.

"Sam, no. You're going to report this to Professor McGonagall." Lys said firmly.

"But it's just a suspicion. If I investigated only a little…" I said with a winning smile.

Lys glared at me. My smile slipped off my face. Lys was right. I shouldn't get mixed up in this. I would report it to Professor McGonagall!

**INSERT TIME BREAK**

The next morning I left early for breakfast, intent on informing Professor McGonagall about my startling epiphany. However, hardly had I left the Gryffindor common room than I chanced upon…

"Peeves." I said, cautiously.

"Lookie here, if it isn't a goody goody prefect." Peeves said.

"Yeah, great seeing you too Peeves. Now if you'll excuse me I have important business to attend to." I remarked casually, attempting to inch towards the staircases.

" Ooooh, important business. Well, you wouldn't be interested in my…whoops-a-daisy!" Peeves said maliciously, dropping water balloons on my head.

It was September and I had just had chilled water dumped on my head. I shrieked while Peeves whooped and whooshed away. Cursing Peeves I performed a drying charm on myself but unfortunately, I was still shivering when I reached the Great Hall.

However, my mood improved when I spotted Professor McGonagall near the doors.

"Professor, I wanted -" I started but McGonagall shushed me.

"Not now, Miss Roy," She said. Then she hurried forward as a bunch of witches and wizards in black robes entered the castle.

The Aurors. Every kid in this castle had wanted, at some point in their life, to be an auror.

Not only did you get to be completely heroic but also wear smart black robes that made the best style statement and entitled you to free drinks in every wizarding pub.

And then I saw Harry Potter make his way to the front and shake hands with Professor McGonagall. I felt a little faint and squashed the urge to scream dramatically like a fan girl.

"Sam?" a voice interrupted my daydreaming.

I turned around to see Raphael smile at me. He took my arm and guided me towards the Gryffindor table, which was good since I had lost the ability to move temporarily.

"Why are you up so early?" Richardson asked.

"I needed to speak to Professor McGonagall. " I said, not elaborating on the subject. "What about you?"

"I'm always up early." He said.

"That's disturbing." I informed him.

"You should hear Eric on the subject. He could sleep till Christmas if we'd let him." Raphael said.

I laughed. That would be typical of Eric Crawford, Raphael's best friend. He was as extroverted as Raphael was reserved, as flirtatious ad Raphael was aloof. But no one could deny the two looked good as best friends. In fact, they could be the poster boys of the stereotypical teenage "bros". Raphael was dark haired with chiseled aristocratic features while Eric looked like he came right out of a catalogue for surfing and beachwear.

Unfortunately, despite having almost every girl in Hogwarts crushing on him at some point (Alright, I'll admit. I was in Third Year and he was my Potions partner then) Eric happened to be in love with Charlene Hawkins, one of the few people in Hogwarts I couldn't stand.

It wasn't her flawless features or the way she could make her hair swing as she walked into Great Hall. As I observed her sitting next to Eric, who had apparently abandoned his sleep in hopes of breakfast, it was her slight gestures like touching his arm, smiling coyly and pushing her skirt up _accidentally_ . I'd seen it a thousand times before, Charlene Hawkins leading boys on. And unlike Eliza who was looking for a bit of fun and had always ensured pleasant relations with her … lovers, Charlene liked to play with men. I had heard her admit once in the bathroom during fourth year that it made her feel powerful.

And I despised her for it.

She caught me looking at her and shot me a malicious smile.

I stood abruptly, startling Lys who was pouring herself pumpkin juice.

"Oh bugger!" she cried out.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I exclaimed, still distracted by Charlene.

Lys sighed at my clumsiness and with one last apology, I went looking for Professor McGonagall or at he very least Professor Longbottom. I was still thinking of how unfortunate it was that someone as nice as Eric liked someone like Charlene that I ran straight into a wall.

Cursing at my stupidity, I was startled by voices. It was Auror Weasely and Auror Potter in what looked like an argument.

"I'm telling you, mate, we need to shut the school down for a week and block all the secret passages, starting from the Hogsmeade one." Auror Ron Weasely was saying.

"Ron, think rationally. We can't shuttle the kids home and then back again. Think of the inconvenience! The Board would have my head. And McGonagall too." Auror Potter retorted back.

The two of them were standing in what was previously a secret alcove and was now one of Hogwarts' prolific snogging spots.

"It's better than believing the alternative, Harry!" Auror Weasely replied, looking very haggard all of a sudden.

What alternative, I thought to myself.

Auror Weasely answered my question.

"Better than believing that someone in the castle did it."


End file.
